Comey is no hero… and that’s a good reason for a big investigation

As the Trump administration continues to deal with controversy over whether it has improper ties to Russia, some Americans are mistakenly lionizing former FBI Director James Comey.

As The Intercept reminds us:

While Comey is now positioned for history to remember him as the cop who took down Trump, or tried to at great professional expense, there should be wariness about lionizing Comey in the way the news media have in recent days. Under Comey, the FBI pushed investigative and surveillance powers to new and controversial limits and employed tactics that were morally and ethically bankrupt.

In short, Comey’s FBI did some terrible things.

Comey, a huge fan of government overreach, supported the FBI as it carried out some of its biggest assaults on liberty.

With even Trump critics reminding us that Comey is no hero, it’s a good time for a real investigation– not just into Trump’s alleged improper ties to Russia, but into the whole of government malfeasance.

Steve Balich Editors Note:Government of the people by the people and for the people is gone in Illinois thanks to the iron fist of Madigan. It may be that Madigan wants to bankrupt the State and the State Pension funds which are now and have been unsustainable. As taxes increase, property value decreases, as well as business and residents. Business that can leave Illinois will the same as citizens for a place not in Illinois that is more affordable.The difference between Republicans and Democrats is the size and cost of government. Republicans believe in less government, lower taxes and fewer regulations, while Democrats’ beliefs are the polar opposite. The Republicans on the Will County Board took control in 2014 and ended the call for a public safety tax to replace dilapidated and out-of-date public buildings (the Courthouse, Sheriff’s Dept. and Health Dept.). Everything is being built, and Republicans cut the property tax rate. Government can work for the people in Will County so why not the State of Illinois?Citizens are fed up with a government that acts like a starving Beast, eating their disposable income in the name of more government. The cities and states controlled by Democrats for years, like Illinois, Chicago, and Detroit, are just waiting for a federal bailout or bankruptcy. They expect states that don’t overspend and that don’t provide unsustainable programs to pick up their bill, or they will start over, repeating the same ugly methods after they go bankrupt. We the people of Illinois Republican, Democrat, and independent must stand against that philosophy.

Illinois Houe Speaker Michael Madigan talked to reporters Sunday after a meeting of legislative leaders from both parties.

Image courtesy of BlueRoomStream

ILLINOIS NEWS NETWORK

Legislative leaders say there’s a sense of optimism about budget negotiations, but with new demands from Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan and Friday’s budget deadline approaching, it’s unclear if all sides will agree on a spending plan before the new fiscal year begins Saturday.

Leaders from both parties met Sunday, the fifth day of the special session called by Gov. Bruce Rauner and only five days before the Friday budget deadline. On the table is a spending plan that relies on at least $5 billion in tax increases in exchange for various GOP-backed reforms of pensions, workers compensation and other items.

House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, offered up new demands from Democrats, including passage of an education funding reform measure that Republicans say is a bailout of Chicago Public Schools.

“No. 1, I expect the governor to sign Senate Bill 1, which changes the school aid formula,” Madigan said. “No. 2, I expect the governor to sign a bill that would provide for regulations of rates by workers’ compensation insurance companies.”

Rauner, other Republicans and manufacturing groups have called rate regulation of insurance companies on workers’ compensation matters “fake reform” that will not decrease costs to employers. Illinois businesses and manufacturers pay the highest workers’ comp costs in the Midwest and among the highest in the nation. GOP lawmakers have their own workers compensation reform measure pending that analysts say would save about $130 million a year.

For his third demand, Madigan said he wants Rauner to sign legislation that would require him to follow procurement code in his attempt to expand Medicaid managed care.

During an interview with reporters after the leaders meeting, Madigan also said the GOP’s push to tie property tax relief and other reforms to tax increases is part of an “extreme right-wing agenda.”

House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, said that doesn’t help those trying to reduce Illinois’ highest-in-the nation property taxes. Durkin said property tax relief must be part of the equation.

Durkin also told reporters that Madigan’s demands are a sign of movement and Republicans will continue to be flexible, even though a group of House Republicans say they can’t support tax increases.

Obamacare’s record speaks for itself. Premiums continue to rise, millions remain uninsured, and insurance providers are fleeing the market faster than ever. Obamacare is failing the American people. President Donald J. Trump remains committed to working with Congress to repeal and replace the disaster that is Obamacare.

TODAY’S EVENTS

10:30 AM: President Trump receives his daily intelligence briefing

1:00 PM: President Trump has lunch with Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley

PHOTO OF THE DAY

OBAMACARE FACT OF THE DAY

FACT: When Obamacare was signed into law, CBO estimated that 23 million people would be covered in Obamacare’s exchanges in 2017. They were off by more than 100% – only 10.3 million people are covered by Obamacare.

WHITE HOUSE UPDATES

On Friday, President Donald J. Trump signed the Department of Veteran Affairs Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017, which will bring accountability back to the VA. This bill gives senior officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs the power to fire failing employees and establishes safeguards to protect those who reveal wrongdoing in the agency.On Friday, Vice President Pence gave remarks at the Focus on the Family 40th Anniversary Celebration in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He congratulated the organization on their historic milestone and praised their efforts to strengthen the American Family.

Last week, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hosted Congressional members and their families on the South Lawn for the annual Congressional Picnic.

WEST WING READS

In the Philadelphia Inquirer, Sen. Pat Toomey (R) praises the Senate repeal bill, writing that it “will help to drive down costs for everyone” and fulfill the promise to repeal Obamacare.

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Today starts energy week at the White House. Bloomberg previews the week, particularly the President’s message of American “energy dominance” through increased exports. And The Wall Street Journal reports on the ripple effect the U.S. shale energy boom has had on the plastics and chemicals industries, including supporting jobs, increasing exports, and further supporting the U.S. economy.

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In The Hill, former Reagan and Bush 43 Transportation Secretaries Norman Mineta and James Burnley write that now is the time to privatize the air traffic control system – a key initiative the President supports and that kicked off our infrastructure week earlier this month.